#it's that whole doomed by the narrative thing where no matter what he did or didn't he'd have ended up here anyway

[the-acid-pear]

I actually am in love w what the evil dead does like it sets up this typical virgin girl among her friends in a very much horror scenario where only she is aware so you'd expect her to be the final girl, obviously, it's the 80s after all. But no, WRONG, she dies first and her transgender bimbo brother is the actual protagonist ! Laugh crying emoji.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Thailand is back in charge

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

June 2024 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Goodday (Sat YT) ep 7 of 12 - There is so much to love about this pair. But one of the things I truly adore is what great communicators they are about what they want & need as friends & as lovers. As boyfriends? Not so much. But the way they can (and do and did) communicate speaks well to their ability to communicate in the future, once they have resolved the inevitable doom the BL gods will reign down upon us over the next 3-4 eps. I guess what I am say is... these two are gonna be awesome husbands.

The break up was sad but inevitable.

Yay for a crying kiss. I do so love a crying kiss! 

Can we talk about the fact that all that tension was worth it?

Excellent kiss all round from GreatInn. Possibly one of the best of the year. Their only issue in winning this category in 2024 is that they're up against OffGun, TayNew, and JimmySea, not to mention BillyBabe... and MosBank coming soon. But I gotta say, for a new pair? Fantastic work boys.

My Stand-In (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - I literally spent this whole show saying “Oh, Poor Joe!” Which is now the actual name of his character: Poor Joe. He's like the country music sad sack. How much is this narrative gonna keep kicking him while he's down?  

Sunset X Vibes (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 12 - Star Hunter + MosBank + a beloved familiar face? You ready? Let's go. I got a lot to say.

Unexpected supernatural historical paranormal mythological Sign-esk elements happening in our dream sequence opening. I’m not mad about it. But I do think it’s going to be mishandled in the dubious hands of Star Hunter. My BLabies, no matter what else, with Star Hunter we can rest assured there will be chaos and narrative mess. And now, lucky us, there will be a supernatural mess. But at least it will be sexy and high heat.

Honestly, I'm not worried about MosBank and I know what to expect from Star Hunter,. So we're all on the same page.

Meanwhile, enter a cute side couple (normal for this studio). WAIT a second I know that face! That's Tenon of PitchBank fame (side couple, and only good thing about, Golden Blood). I’m sad to see his pair busted, but delighted to see him pop up again in a BL.

Tenon appreciation time: He kisses beautifully everyone, and he is a killer eye-emoter. We are in for a real treat with this actor. (Especially if we get to a place in the narrative where he pines. OH PLEASE MAKE HIM PINE.)

Okay back to the show. I love Tenon but I also LOVE his infiltrating, wicked smart, younger brother character. This role is great for him. I adore an industrial spy. I enjoy a rich boy pretending to be an intern in his family's company (yes it's a trope, just not common in BL). Excellent work Thailand. No notes.

In conclusion?

It’s a cheesy silly office BL and I am enjoying it immensely because I have no expectations. So don't burst my bubble. Star Hunter is bound to do that on its own without tumblr's help.

We Are Cute (Weds iQIYI) ep 11 of 16 - Oh my God they are all so cute! I love the beginning bit when Peem was feeling down and Phum tried to cheer him up. Ridiculously charming. All the sides were super adorbs too. The actual name of this show is "We Are Cute". Meanwhile, Kluen = the only boy in a BL ever to take his unfinished drink with him? I like him even more now. 

My Love Mix-Up Th (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - New take on the umbrella trope to be trapped under a parasol together. NO SINGING. Honestly? I am not loving this as much as I really wanted to love it. It's the middle of the rankings for good reason. I do like the idea of historical Cinderfella BL though. Why isn't that what I'm watching? The play with in a play is a dangerous trope to deploy, it only distracts my with attractive possibilities. 

Love Sea (Sun iQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - I'm gonna try to cycle back to ending this rap-up week on Saturdays, which means the recap for this episode will be in next week's weekly (so to speak). Meanwhile, I am doing a Trash watch on this show. Hopefully that will get updated tomorrow.

Knock Knock Boys (Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 12 - It’s fun enough. Kind of a pulpy lark. Best + Seng = a surprisingly good match.

Only Boo! (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - Good kiss from the sides. No surprises there. The main’s kissing was fine too, I guess. I like that they had a genuine struggle with being an idol and not being able to date. It’s nice to see that depicted on screen in a BL. I wish we had a bit more of a montage around the rise & success of Moo's boy group. But I understand the money in play for this kind of show prohibits that. All in all? It’s fine. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - Oof. This ep was painful. So much awkward desperation and confusion. Oh Japan, must you?

Crazy to be in a place and time where there is no other noted non-Thai BLs airing. Not even from Korea. What is going on? Are we in 2020 all over again? Please no.

It's airing but...

The Last Time (Thai Fri YT?) - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something. Can't find it.

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ???) 10 eps - I can't find it. Comments from last week suggest this is not my thing anyway, but Lee Long Shi very much IS my thing. I've put the search on hold for a bit and y'all can let me know if it's worth tracking down. Also, who knew Frank & Big could kiss like that? Not me.

ARGH could Monster Next Door please just start airing. I am SO tired of waiting for Big to lead out a BL. It should have happened years ago. *grumbles in chronic second lead syndrome*

In case you missed it

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru 2 AKA Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo Tabetai 2 Haime! (Japan movie) - Continues the (frankly) lackadaisical story from part 1 ans was meant to drop yesterday. We thought maybe Gaga, but nothing so far.

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer released to Korean theaters 5/25. HoTae & DongHee, side couple from Unintentional Love Story are back! Same actors, same character names. I love them. Devastated this hasn't had international distribution.

As others see us: NuNew's 'Awful' Performance in BABYMONSTER's 'SHEESH' Goes Viral - I don't like BL being noticed by Kpop stans. I flipping LOATHE this song and I'm not wild about Babym. This is all 'round uncomfortable making and I want it to stop.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

June Releases Still Coming

6/26 The Rebound (Thai Weds Gaga) - MeenPing are back in their 3rd BL together, a basketball based romance (Meen was a national basketball player, so yay for that). I like this pair better than most (I still do miss Meen with Est but Est has a fantastic looking new BL coming from GMMTV so yeah...) Anyway I'm up for a sports romance starring a man who, yah know, actually played that sport so... I'm game (pun intended).

6/26 I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) 10 eps - A new series adaptation of beloved yaoi I Hear the Sunspot (first adaptation was feature film Silhouette of Your Voice 2017).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Forget "boyfriends but they don't realize it." These two are married but they don't realize it.

Praise be, he didn't leave his full drink behind. BEST BOY.

It was a great make out sesh.

THAT LIP BITE.

All round excellent ep this week, We Are Cuties.

Top tier flirting banker from the fuck buddies though. Man, their innuendo is on point. And I do mean that point. (Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity

@rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in it's infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

There's these tricks, remember.

[shtern-and-art]

ON COGS, BUTTERFLIES, AND THE NATURE OF THE SHARED DREAM

#JayvikLived and why it makes the most sense

What if saving you will doom me and the entire world, but I will still do it anyway, in every universe in every timeline, always. What if I do it again and again until I find the one where you can save me back. Because I don't want to do it without you.

---

In all timelines including the one we saw in the show, Jayce keeps fucking up, making mistakes and wrong calls. Oftentimes because of his fixation on the miracle that happened to him in his childhood. And in all timelines, in all realities Viktor keeps saving him. With that miracle.

Their recursive dream is always collapsing on itself. Viktor saved Jayce because they had the hextech dream already, and in doing so gave Jayce this dream. They are infinite in their paradox. And they managed to walk away from it only when they did it together.

Because their actual dream, the real one, was not the hextech itself, not a cog (in the system that's bringing money for the people in power), but a butterfly. A living thing. The man, not the machine.

It was never about the tech, two ways of using it, never about two sides of the cog and choosing between one or the other. It was about two wings learning to work together.

See, Jayce got his (somewhat naive) dream of saving the world because he was saved as a child. But Viktor saved him then because their dream was always, from the very start - to help and save each other.

It was the butterfly all along.

It was there when Jayce opened his eyes in the field. Not an omen of death, but of the human soul, rebirth. Of infinite consequences unraveling into the future.

---

The way the butterfly was corrupted through focusing on the technology, and the way technology eroded, reshaped itself into what it actually strives to be.

The way Jayce put hexcore into Viktor, even though it would change him, and derail his life. Even though it would doom Viktor and them both. Because Jayce couldn't do anything else. Because Jayce would love him anyway.

The way Viktor kept coming back to save Jayce when he was a child, kept giving him the crystal. Even though it would change him irrevocably, derail his life forever. Even though it would doom Jayce and them both. Because Viktor couldn't do anything else. Because Viktor loves him anyway.

And in the end we saw that holding on to that love, like a lifeline, through all the mistakes they've made along the way, can save them both from the endless cycle of death and pain.

It was affection that held them together. Held them both from breaking into pieces and losing themselves.

---

I know people keep saying that it is left ambiguous if Jayce and Viktor died, or became celestial beings together, or teleported into some other time and space. But I think it is explicitly narratively clear that they didn't die in the end.

And maybe, if Jayce left, and Viktor tried to activate the rune on his own they both would've died, yes.

But their whole story is about how they help each other choose life. Literally and figuratively. By giving inspiration, by force, by just asking. It is about the butterfly coming together, and actually flying on its own, without the magic or technology.

(mookhead_mcspazatron_ @ tiktok)

Viktor saved Jayce on the mountain and gave him his dream. Viktor took Jayce off the ledge, and gave him his dream again.

Jayce took Viktor off the ledge, when he also wanted to go. Comforted him and showed him that he can stay, even if it hurts right now. Jayce literally tore Viktor's death away from him, thrusting the new life and new fate into his hands.

And this cycle kept repeating over and over, because they refused to let each other go, yes.

But in the end Jayce clawed and tore himself to pieces to get into Viktor's soul to once again say "Your life is precious to me, no matter how bad things can get. Please see how valuable it is".

---

And this time, in this timeline, of all the possible (sometimes, I bet, deadly) purposes their rune was the rune of acceleration. Of, you know. Moving somewhere. Through time and space.

And it wouldn't have work if they didn't activate it together.

And to do it they had to, symbolically, choose to walk away. Move on. Together.

Not from life, like Jinx tried after her inner-Silco's monologue. She was wrong in thinking her death will stop the disasters she brings, it would've just added to this cycle, keeping her within it instead.

And similarly, Jayce and Viktor choosing to die, and then actually dying to save everyone would've been antithetical to everything we were told beforehand.

(And oh, one day I'll compile all my notes on Jinx-Viktor/timebomb-jayvik parallels I've been clocking since season 1. This season just polished it all into crystal clear shining thread that ties the story's themes together.)

They chose to move on from the pain, the pride, the insecurities, from everything that didn't let them choose life. Everything, that pushed them away from it and towards the ledge.

Viktor was ready to let Jayce walk away, and then throw his own life on the barricades to make up for what he has done. And Jayce said "No. You don't have to do it alone".

Viktor accepting Jayce's care and love, accepting that Jayce is staying with him, was Viktor accepting that he's worth it. That his life is worth it.

(Choosing to move on from the pain and trauma, that's what got me so strongly in the finale of the season, ugh.)

What they did wasn't a sacrifice, it was proof of life. That's what saved the world. And that's why they could only do it together.

(And with Ekko and Jinx going through the similar journey parallel to them. I'll get to that post, because fr)

Perhaps, they thought they might die. But narratively, thematically, and within their universe's established laws they actually did the opposite.

Because it was never about single individuals breaking the cycle, the wheel, the cog spinning it all. Never about one person stopping it, and saving everyone who needs it, be it through progress, through evolution, through war, or dang capitalism and politics. It was about finding the courage to trust and rely on others, to keep caring about each other. To work together like one, like two wings. To create a community, however small, that will allow you to make choices outside of the pressure the cycle of death and oppression is grinding you under. And how that brings actual meaningful change to the world, the fact that we make it happen together, and care for each other throughout.

It was about the butterfly, in the end.

P.S.

Jokes about gay situationship destroying the world and then saving it after are fun and all.

But there is SOMETHING in how it would've been so much simpler for Viktor to let Jayce die on that mountain. To let himself die of his illness later. To let the world be safe from both of them. To spare them both the pain of what will happen in the rest of their lives.

And yet Viktor comes back, and tries again and again to find a timeline where they both survive, and stay human, and don't destroy the world.

Even if it will be almost too late, even if a lot of mistakes still happen.

How about that - from the terminally ill suicidal man the world tried to convince that he's better off dead? (Yes, we're judging Heimerbitch hard in this house)

Anyways. #JayvikLived, love wins, see you all later ✨

[lesbiansforboromir]

Actually one of my favourite things about RoP is how they're willing to tell a completely different narrative to LotR. This is not a story where goodness wins against evil, this is not a story where our heroes succeed or even where heroes exist at all, and RoP is fully leaning into that. They're saying; what if everyone passionately and understandably believes they are doing the right thing, that it HAS to be done for the good of all, and they are all wrong? What if every single character tries so hard to save everyone, but each effort they make only dooms them more? What if it was always hopeless? What if everything they've ever wanted to protect is lost, no matter how hard they try to save it, and actually even because of what they did to save it? And this even goes for Sauron too! Even he will not actually succeed in any of his goals. Like it slaps babes, peak grecian tragedy stuff we've got going on here. It's like the other side of the lotr coin, where lotr says 'be not afraid, everything will be as God wills it, you must have hope (faith)' rop says 'be afraid, everything will be as God wills it, you must still have hope anyway but the hope will kill you this time'.

... And then some guy said 'oough but you gotta have gandalf and a hobbit in there or is it even tolkien 🤪' and nearly ruined the whole thing I MEAN I'LL WAIT AND SEE, I'll wait, maybe they manage it or whatever.

[vindieselsfacebook-blog]

I want to hear more about your opinion that Rory ending up with Logan would go against everything the show stands for. How so? Tell me more!

Bless your heart (complimentary) for asking for MORE of my rambling! :’)

I think there are a few themes that ultimately guide the entire Gilmore Girls narrative. No matter where the plot and characters end up, if ASP is writing, I think the outcome will always adhere to these themes and a specific pattern.

The most important is family - how complicated and imperfect it is, how patterns repeat and break and struggle to repeat and break. We try our best and love in our own ways, but inevitably fuck things up, too. We just keep working at it, which is beautiful and painful and frustrating and gratifying. I think found family and community is just as important, which leads me to the second theme, which is independence and/or individuality.

The show centers Lorelai's quest to build her own life from the ground up which is a pattern I feel repeats in most of the main characters. She rejects upper class life to work a blue collar job, make her own home, build a new family unit with her daughter and close friends, and aspires to small business owner life. Luke shares those values and has a similar journey - taking his father's store and making his own, new thing from the ashes. Jess, the character with the most positive character growth, repeats that pattern, too. He struggles until he, too, strikes out on his own to build his independent life from scratch.

The third theme is class struggle. Although I do think it's clear the show has more respect for the working class, it loooves playing with the back-and-forth of it all and never takes itself too seriously to poke fun at it. It's fun to sometimes see Emily's point even if it's often buried in shallow superficialities. It's thought-provoking to agree with Richard that Rory should use her grandparents' privileges, although we've been rooting for her to make it on her own. We respect Lorelai's independence, but want to yell "just take the money!" when she needs a loan. Or we judge her for it and think "you're not so independent after all."

I love scenes like this one at the end of S4E15, Scene In A Mall:

Lorelai: This is your window on a whole other world, Luke. The world of worthless rich people stuff. People of means see what they want and simply take it, regardless of others. Luke: ... d'you pour your own coffee? Lorelai: Oh, err, yeah. Luke: You're not supposed to do that. Lorelai: Oh yeah, sorry, I won't do it again. Luke: Mmm hmm.

Like, yeah, rich people suck and we dunk on them all the time, but hey, even queen main character can be selfish and hypocritical. No one's really above it!

Anyway, all that to say... Rory is clearly set up to have a similar trajectory where a wrench is thrown in her plans and she won't ever really get back on track until she, too, burns her life to the ground and independently starts all over. She just struggles with the push-and-pull of it all more than her mother ever did.

I get frustrated with fans who think her ending up pregnant like her mother is some pessimistic "history is doomed to repeat itself and no one can ever really change" message, when I see it as her being set up for her inevitable successful ending. She has to figure it out for herself on her own terms. This is why I feel she and Jess will be linked together forever, romantically or not.

If Rory had ended up with Logan, that crash and burn would've just come later. She would've been unsatisfied in that life. Rory and Logan always went to each other for escapism and fantasy - it just doesn't make thematic sense to me that he would ever be a legitimate happily-ever-after option. It's simply not how things are done on this show. Even Emily ultimately follows the pattern - she starts a new life as a more independent person rejecting the "bullshit!"

And conversely, look who is set up in contrast - Christopher is the coward who could never fully run away from his guided cage. The show repeatedly calls him "weak" and makes it clear he's not as brave and independent as Lorelai. He ends up isolated from his kids, accepting the status quo. And ohhh boy, look what his parallel is doing in AYITL - Logan is accepting the dynastic plan, working for daddy and marrying the heiress. That is not the story of a viable end game to me! It feels pretty clear.

Phew - you asked for it! lmao I hope I articulated this well enough??

[cannedwyrms]

Spoilers for shadow of the erdtree, but...

I NEED to talk about Marika, okay?

In the base game, I thought she was interesting, don't get me wrong, but the amount of DEPTH SOTE gives her is INCREDIBLE.

The first time I got to the Shaman Village, I instantly knew she was going up on my Good Antagonist List™ immediately.

And, because of that, I wanted to have another ramble about her, as is becoming customary for this blog.

So, let's go over what exactly we learned about Marika and what this informs us about her character.

I think the Shaman Village really takes center stage here. The music, the item descriptions, it all combines to paint a gentler, more human image of Marika. In the base game, she was more like a god (which made sense seeing as she was one), but we see a more human side of her here.

So, the Shaman Village. It's the place where Marika grew up, her home. Unfortunately for her, shaman bodies are apparently quite good for putting into big jars, which was something the Hornsent loved to do. We've all seen it before, right? I mean, we've all seen a zealous religious society commit atrocities against an underclass in fiction, not the jar thing.

And the Hornsent are a zealous religious society. They used the bodies of shamen in jars to make saints. Which sounds like complete nonsense, I know, but that's just elden ring lore babey.

Anyway, it's my personal headcannon, if not outright fact, that the Hornsent's persecution of Marika's people is what led her down the path of becoming a god. Like Miquella, she wanted to make the world a gentler place. Unlike Miquella, though, she only wanted to make it gentler for her people.

In short, it's my belief that Marika became a god in large part to inact revenge on the hornsent.

Okay, pause. I know Elden Ring Lore is like, a big deal and all, and anything I say is basically unfounded on everything except intuition, my own personal interpretations, and because I believe my theories fit thematically within the wider narrative, but just stay with me on this, alright? I think there's a real undertone of misogyny in the fanbase, and sometimes that can color interpretations of certain characters even unintentionally. Marika has gotten this treatment worse than most, I think, because she is a prominent woman who does morally questionable things. Beyond the inherent misogyny, though, I've noticed that a lot of people interpret Marika's actions very uncharitably. Anyways, all that to say, this is my post, and I care more about everything working together thematically than digging deep into the depths of the lore to find out that "oh, actually Scrupulous the Untested mentioned this flower, which represents pure evil, and he was talking about Marika when he did," or whatever. A strawman? Perhaps, but you get my point. Still, I'll try to remain true to my understanding of the lore, but I'm bound to make mistakes. I'm not an expert. Sorry for the long aside, I just felt these were important points that wouldn't fit in elsewhere.

So, I believe Marika sought godhood partly to punish the Hornsent, although I won't pretend to understand her full motivations.

I believe this is what Ymir was referring to when he said "I fear that you have borne witness to the whole of it. The conceits - the hypocrisy - of the world built upon the Erdtree. The follies of man. Their bitter suffering. Is there no hope for redemption? The answer, sadly, is clear. There never was any hope. They were each of them defective. Unhinged, from the start. Marika herself. And the fingers that guided her. And this is what troubles me. No matter our efforts, if the roots are rotten, then we have little recourse."

My interpretation of this is that Marika's intentions for godhood were impure. She wasn't seeking to improve things, just punish the ones who wronged her people. Thus, her reign was doomed from the start.

Now, let's get into what really sold me on Marika as a character.

There are, to my knowledge, two items you can find in the Shaman Village.

The Minor Erdtree incantation, and the Golden Braid talisman. Let's take a look at the flavortext for these two items and see what we can glean, starting with the Minor Erdtree.

"Marika bathed the village of her home in gold, knowing full well that there was no one to heal."

So, by the time she returned to her village, everyone was already dead. How devastated must Marika have felt, to return from claiming godhood and revenge, only to find that there was no one left to avenge. She was alone.

Here's the text we get from the golden braid:

"A braid of golden hair, cut loose. Queen Marika's offering to the Grandmother. Boosts holy damage negation by the utmost. What was her prayer? Her wish, her confession? There is no one left to answer, and Marika never returned home again."

Man, reading that, with the shaman village music in the background, just thinking about a young Marika resolving herself to become a god, to save her village and people from the Hornsent, the anger she must have felt, the fear and solemn resignation of her goal, only to return again to find herself alone. What was her wish? What did she leave behind in her village? We'll never know, because Marika is alone. Her people are gone. In the end, she couldn't save them.

Is it really any wonder that she eventually began to doubt the very order she had founded?

But now let's talk about some other aspects of Marika's character that the dlc reveals.

Namely, her Omen sons.

Imagine how Marika must have felt, looking down at her newborns to see the very horns that had destroyed her people upon them. It's just so DAMN good, character wise. There must have been so many mixed feelings surrounding them. I wonder if she even felt any love for them at all when she saw those horns. Like, I don't know, obviously, but I imagine she felt conflicted. She didn't outright kill them, which is good, but she did leave them chained in a sewer for most of their lives, so yeah not great.

But that's what I love about her character. Elden ring, in a lot of ways, is about how victims can become victimizers. How, in pursuit of noble goals, or revenge, you can lose yourself and become just as bad or worse than the people you set out to punish. That's Marika's character. That's why she's part of the List™.

Because Marika started out as someone angry at the systems that oppressed her and sought to change them. She was the hero of the story, in the beginning. But, in pursuit of her goal, she lost herself and became a bit of a monster.

SOTE, to me, revealed that Elden Ring's story is one of complete moral grey. Everyone is working towards a cause that they believe in, including you. The ends justify the means for you, even if it means striking down a mostly innocent grieving woman, hunting your fellow tarnished, or turning on the ones who trusted you and called you a compatriot. Ranni, Miquella, Radahn, Fia, D, Godrick, Malenia, Leda, Ansbach, Thiollier, Gideon, this applies to everyone.

The same goes for Marika. In trying to punish the hornsent and build a better future for herself and her people, she lost her people and eventually succombed to her worst tendencies.

That's why St. Trina pleads with you to stop Miquella. Because to become a god is to sacrifice everything that makes you human.

Marika took that sacrife willingly, in order to punish the ones who hurt her, and in the end, that's what broke her.

I think she recognized this, and that's why she set the stage for you to become Lord. In the chance that someone might do better than her, make the world a gentler place, not for a god, not for ambition or power, not in revenge or anger, but im compassion. Whether or not that's how you choose to rule is, of course, up to you, but I like to imagine that Marika, after everything, found something to hope for again.

Okay, that's the end of my thoughts. Was any of that true to the lore? Who cares. It's how I like to interpret what we were given about Marika. If I'm wrong, then whatever. I'll still be right in my heart.

Alright, bye. Go play shadow of the erdtree, or watch someone else play it at the very least. Next time, I might talk about Miquella, or maybe Leda and her allies.

Someday I'll be brave enough to talk about Agent Black. Someday. But that would maybe turn into a full ten page essay about why Iconoclasts is so very good and I'm not sure the two people who care about what I say here are ready for that.

Okay bye.

A brief adendum to this post:

Because I was analyzing Marika from a literary perspective, focusing on the sympathetic angle SOTE added to her character, I realize I forgot something important, so let me say it now:

Marika's persecution does in no way justify her genocide of the hornsent.

That idea kind of got lost in the shuffle, but it's definitely an important aspect of her character. She's an antagonistic force in the world who has done some very awful things to further her goals, more so than any other antagonist in Elden Ring. Her tragic past only adds dimension to her character, not an excuse for the atrocities she comits.

Okay, bye again.

[littlemisssquiggles]

Did you see the RWBY volume 9 epilogue?

I'm happy there was more to it than what we got from last year and that we actually got to see characters like Nora Oscar and Ren featured as important characters

I'm especially Happy Oscar actually got to be in it because to be honest he gets excluded so much I was actually shocked he had a part and we actually got to focus on him for once

This also gives me hope that they'll do something similar like they did with cinder ,with Oscar because I believe it was possibly said in a q&a or in a live stream

that originally they wanted to do cinders backstory and volume 4-5 when we thought she got killed off again but they kept having to push it back along with other things they wanted to do for certain characters

and since many think Oscar is possibly not going to make it through his merge and it will be just ozpin/Oz

when it's done maybe we'll actually get to see his past and maybe because Oscar is merging with Ozpin that means his memories are catching up with Oz's memories and will maybe get to see Oz's past too because that's something we've all wondered about as well

and maybe we'll get a hint at where the final relic is because I don't believe the writers are just going to wait tell the last minute to show us were it is I think they're going to hint at it

I don't Oscar part sense he my favorite along side ozpin

what do you think 🤔

Hiya Autumn o/ Thank you so much for your inbox and pardon the late reply.

To answer your first question, yes, I did see the full V9 Epilogue Animatic. TWICE and I plan on rewatching it many, many times because I haven’t recovered from it yet.

I know I’ve been relatively silent these days especially when it comes to this newly dropped animatic. But that’s mostly because I haven’t fully gathered my thoughts on it yet to form a consisive essay.

My head is still reeling from all that was revealed in that short space of animatic frames, particularly the bits about Oscar and what he’s currently going through. As a Pinehead, you just know that part got to me the most because BOI! WAS IT GOOD! Oscar-worthy, as I might say,

So if I may, and if you don’t mind m’fam, I am going to piggyback off of your inboxed message and use this as opportunity to get some of my main thoughts about Oscar’s side of the Epilogue off of my chest. So here I go.

According to the RWBY V9 full Epilogue Animatic…

Oscar’s story with the Merge with Oz has officially started with him isolating himself from his friends while he goes through it on his own, practically dooming him (and essentially Oz as well) to suffer in silence.

But while that’s how things seem to be starting, if it doesn’t end with a scene where Oscar is going through the Merge but this time he’s surrounded by all of his friends all vowing to stay by side through it all and cherish him for who he is---Oscar---no matter who he becomes after the Merge.

If it doesn’t end with all of Oscar’s friends being there for him during the Merge (ESPECIALLY Ruby) then, like Jon Snow , I don't want it.

I don’t know how Oscar’s story will end.

The way I perceive it, Oscar’s story can end in many possible different ways.

In one way, Oscar’s story could end the way it was originally intended to, according to the natural progression of the narrative.---with Salem being defeated, Ozma finally moving on and Oscar being allowed to live the rest of his days as himself, Merge completely avoided.

Or like a Shamalan movie, it can end with a twist. Maybe Oscar isn’t so lucky and doesn’t avoid the Merge like his predecessors and is changed forever.

Maybe Oscar gets attack by Tyrian and “dies” forcing the Merge to happen as a way to save his life.

Maybe Oscar is taken to the Tree and gets to meet the Blacksmith who decides his final fate in the Merge.

Or who knows? Maybe the CRWBY Writers saw the recent 60th anniversary Doctor Who special and have the brilliance to put a new spin on the whole Ozma cycle where instead of Oscar merging with Oz, the two split apart with either wizards retaining their memories and single identities.

Instead of Oscar of losing himself to the Merge, he is set free leaving Ozma to carry on his mission to the Gods as himself. So no more pairing him up with like-minded souls. Like Oscar, Ozma is now his own person with his own agency. So even if he died again, similar to Salem, Ozma was still immortal only now he would simply come back in his original body as opposed to the former latter of playing hot potato with his soul inhabiting another poor innocent man or young boy’s body. All this with the extra added bonus that now we have two great and powerful wizards for the price of one. Both Oscar and the newly reincarnated Ozma (who gets back his original form---the one that was married to Salem and equally as powerful as her) retained his combat-ready muscle memory and shared ability to use magic. So Ozma, naturally fights with his trademark Long Memory, while Oscar uses magic freehand without the need for the cane.

That last one’s a big stretch but like all of my past Pinehead headcanons that I’ve tossed aimlessly into the ether of the FNDM community, I’m keeping it on the table of possibilities since it’d make a sick Oscar the Sorceror’s Apprentice Pinehead headcanon AU. Definitely adding that one to the list.

---

Anyways, getting back on track. Through everything that Oscar has been put through in the story so far, the most I want from this whole Merge storyline is that he doesn’t have to go through it on his own and I don’t mean, he’s going through it with just Oz as his main company.

What I mean for that is, I don’t think the implications of what the Merge means has truly sunk in for the rest of the hero team. A part of me wishes to assume that part of the reason why the rest of the hero team seems so nonchalant about Oscar’s whole merge with Oz is because Oscar has never truly been honest with them about how he really feels about the merge.

The last time Oscar spoke about the Merge with the team was back in V6 when he basically did it in such a “no biggie; don’t worry about me” sort of way that it came off as if he just said it to sound brave in the moment for the sake of the team and for the sake of keeping his own emotions in check.

I say this because as we’ve seen from the events of V7 through V8, Oscar is very anxious about the Merge. He doesn’t want it to happen which is why he and Oz are now fighting to keep it from happening even though it’s already long begun.

Bottom-line, I don’t think Oscar has been completely honest with anyone else outside of Oz about how he truly feels concerning the Merge. And now that it’s happening, he’s basically resolved himself to go through it alone. I don’t even think anyone else in the current group; not Nora, not Emerald, not even Ren (who literally has the ability to read someone’s thoughts and feelings through their emotions) knows about what he’s going through.

I wonder if Oscar puts on a brave face whenever he’s with the others and anytime he feels another “Merger episode” coming along, he quickly excuses himself (probably claiming that he needs to get back to his research in the Archives of Solitude) so the others don’t have to see him going through it.

Ren, in particular, because I’m sure if Ren saw Oscar’s pain from the Merge, he would blurt it out. Ren has now become the unsung singing canary of the hero team after his whole semblance upgrade.

Just like how he blurted out that Ozpin was back during the tunnel walk back in V8 following the rescue mission and escape from Monstro, Ren would definitely reveal that Oscar is going through the Merge if he knew he was going through it and having a painful grand ole time too.

Ren’s inability to remain discrete when revealing another’s true emotions could probably explain why Oscar has been avoiding alone time with him.

If you look at it, Ren is on his own probably stretching himself between helping everyone. It’s also interesting to me that Oscar hasn’t asked anyone else to help look for stuff in the Shade Archives.

Even if Oscar is technically two people in one, that is still a big ass library of books and archives to sift through for even two people. And yet, as we saw from the epilogue, Oscar is ALONE most of the time and I highly doubt no one else offered to help him in the libraries.

I know the Atlesian refugees are a priority but, when you look closely, everyone else is basically sharing the work; helping each other out with something. Nora is supporting folks like SSSN and CVFY.

Same for Ren. Em as well (even though she’s mostly mentioned in notes in the scene in the animatic).

 But when you look to Oscar. He is ALL BY HIMSELF.

Yes, he has Oz with him. But, that doesn’t count. Why hasn’t anyone else volunteered to help Oscar in the archives?

My assumption is because Oscar probably convinced the others to leave the archives to him (and Oz) and prioritize the refugees as a way of ensuring that he’s by himself at all times so no one would have to glimpse his pain from the Merge.

Again, each time a merger episode was highlighted in the epilogue animatic, Oscar was by himself. So my money is that no one knows what Oscar’s really going through.

No one else knows of his mental struggle or pain.

And why I find this interesting is because it kind of parallels Ruby’s whole detachment period from the others in the Ever After before she went to the Tree and what happened at the Mad Tea Party.

Not saying Oscar will share a similar experience as Ruby. I’m just saying, he’s clearly removed himself from the others and acting alone.

As Ren pointed out, he’s not himself. He’s there but…not there at the same time.

This brings me back to my point. Personally, I do want Oscar pulling himself from the team to hide the fact that he’s going through the Merge to be proven canon.

And I want it to be canon so that the first person to pick up that something is clearly off about Oscar’s behaviour to be Ruby.

Maybe Ruby realizes that Oscar is acting weird and when she brings it up, Ren is probably definitely the first person to reveal that he’s been sensing something off for a while but after everything that’s happened, similar to how he’s currently giving Nora space to work things out on her own, Ren has been doing the same with Oscar.

He’s been giving the little prince space when if anyone were to look closely at Ren’s expressions, they could probably see his frustration in being the one to know fully well that his friends aren’t entirely ok and despite wanting to help, he still feels helpless because Ren can’t force his friends to accept his help; no matter how much he offers, y’know what I mean?

I feel like some of RWBYJ’s struggles in the After Ever and how they rose to triumph over them could be mirrored in what NOR is going through now back in Vacuo.

Overall, the point I’m trying to make here is that I just want a moment where Oscar is having another merger episode and he tries to go through it alone, believing that he has to, only to get the reassurance and support he needs from his friends.

I saw someone compare Oscar’s merger episodes to Penny’s battle with Watts’ virus back in V8.

And while I didn’t enjoy the forced heavy focus on Penny during that season, I did sort of like how it culminated in everyone coming together to show their support of Penny and reminding her that she is a part of their team.

That is a type of a moment I want for Oscar. Because unlike Penny, feeling like a part of the team as himself and not just a placeholder for Oz is something Oscar desires.

I want Oscar to push his friends away, believing that he needed to go through this Merge on his own, only to be reminded by his friends in the end that they have his back no matter what.

That he is still a part of their team. That he is still Oscar to them no matter who he becomes in the Merge.

I want a scene where Oscar loses it, possibly even abusing his magic to force walls between himself and his friends only for those said friends to break down those walls and be there for him.

(Maybe even have a moment where Oscar loses control of his magic while trying to fight the Merge and it ends up looking like a moment where everyone thinks it's another Grimm attack when it's actually Oscar whose feelings of the merge have manifested into some kind of monstrous form that Oscar practically cocooned himself inside of).

Y’know that moment in Steven Universe Future where Steven loses control and all of his friends---all the major people he has helped throughout the seasons---come together to help him for once.

I want a moment where the whole team---Ruby, Nora, Ren, Jaune, Blake, Yang, Weiss and Emerald---all of Oscar’s people are there at his side showing him full support as he goes through the Merge; ensuring him that he doesn’t have to be scared of the Merge anymore because no matter who he becomes in the Merge, he will always be Oscar to them.

He’s not Ozpin. He’s not Ozma. He’s sure as hell ain’t Salem’s Ozma. He’s Oscar. Their Oscar

The small, cute farm boy from Mistral who showed up on their doorstep one random night in Mistral and has now cemented himself as one of the most important members of their little team that they will not stand to lose; not even to himself.

I want Oscar to be reminded by his friends that he will be cherished and supported no matter who he becomes in Merge.

Even if Oscar forgot his “old self” due to the Merge, they---his friends, will be there to remind him of who he was because they, as his friends, will never forgot Oscar because to them, he never left.

I just want a moment where everybody group hugs Oscar while he cries about SIX SEASONS worth of repressed tears after all the sh** he's been put through plot-wise. I want it dagnabbit!

Who knows? Maybe Oscar has another painful merger episode and it’s the worse one he’s had since it started and the love and support of his friends surrounding him is what helps to ease him out of it and back to his old farm boy Oscar self.

Just give me one scene like that. That’s all I want.

Don’t know if it will ever come to fruition given the current state of RT and the fate of RWBY as a whole. But hey, still wanted to get that off of my chest.

---

On the subject of the CRWBY Writers possibly showing more of Oscar's past in V10 as he's going through the Merge:

Honestly, at this point, m'fam, it's either now or never.

Now, as in during the events of V10, is the perfect time to give the audience more insight into Oscar's past and who he is. It is practically mandatory at this point that they show it as he is going into a storyline where he's being forced to lose that part of himself. They just have to do it!

Just as how V8 could pretty much be pretty much summed up as another Cinder-centric season similar to V4-V5, V10 could potentially be more Oscar-focused as he's going through the Merge. Like I said, it's the right time for them to do it.

And while I'm unsure of them telling Ozpin's story, maybe that too can be done and do something similar to what they did with Ren and Nora's backstory back in V4.

We got Ren and Nora's whole history in Kunoyuri in an episode that jumped back and forth between the past and the present.

Perhaps Oscar could have a potential episode in V10 where he's having another Merge episode and, as I theorized, he loses control of his magic while a) fighting the Merge again and b) running away/hiding from his friends so that they would've have to see him suffer through it.

So it's an episode that ping pongs between the present day where Oscar's friends are trying to get through to him while he's suffering through yet another painful Merger episode and the past which reveals more of Oscar's backstory leading up to the moment he met Oz and possibly showing other Oscar-centric moments that we, as the audience, never got to see like what happened with Oscar in Argus after his fall out with Jaune (remember we never got to see his side of things and it's something that still bothers me to this day)

Perhaps Ozpin's past is mixed in with it as well as you mentioned and the location of the final relic is actually revealed in Ozpin's memories in a flashback where he entrusted the location to someone. Maybe that person was Summer Rose. Since V9 revealed there is more to Summer Rose's story and that Raven actually knows more about that; perhaps Summer Rose's disappearance is connected to the final Relic or at least the final vault?

I dunno.

Overall, I definitely do like the idea of a potential episode of V10 fully dedicated to sharing bits of both Oscar's past as well as Ozpin's; specifically during his time as headmaster of Beacon when Team STRQ were still students since it could potentially reveal more on where Oz hid the location of the Vault of the Fall Maiden and the Relic of Choice. And if that episode is then followed up by an episode that shows the hero team---all of Oscar's friends actually helping him through an episode of the Merge then even better.

I think that would be pretty amazing. Hope that helps answer your questions m'fam. Let me know.

~ LMS (2024)

[aeksion-aekse]

Brinaera Baratheon Origin Story

tag list 🏷️ : @eiralune @rozendiors @mini-kunoichi @noeverse @flippydippydoo @thought--bubble

word count: 1870 words

The tale of the Princess of Storm’s End is not one of joy or lavish living, but one of a doomed narrative from conception. Conceived from a night of debauchery between the Lord Baratheon and his Lady wife Elenda Caron’s ill sister, Delora Caron. But the mere thought of having a bastard child sully his reputation as Lord of the Stormlands was palpable. So when the child was born, she and her mother were sent away, as it did not matter where they ended up, as long as they were out of the sights of Lord Baratheon. A mere newborn babe, her ailing mother, left to wander aimlessly wherever Lady Delora’s feet would take her.

It seemed like an eternity that Delora wandered and traveled, with Brinaera still swaddled in her arms, her eyes never leaving her babe. It was as if she was the most delicate and prized gem in existence to Delora and she swore to the Gods that she would do anything to ensure Brinaera’s safety. As Delora took in her surroundings, she had come to realize she had made it to King’s Landing. She looked surprised, incredulous even, to the fact that she had managed to walk such a distance. She hadn’t a clue how long she had been walking, losing track of the days as they all blurred together for her.

She continued to grip her cloak as she held Brinaera close to her bosom, walking and wandering aimlessly in search of the direction to the Red Keep. Delora knew one single person that she may be able to rely on, and that was the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, Lady Alicent Hightower. As Delora wandered to the gates of the Red Keep, a Kingsguard halted her, suspicious of her motivations. 

“You there, halt! What are you doing, showing up to the Red Keep unannounced?”

“Please, sir, I must speak with the Queen. It is urgent, I beg of you.”

The Kingsguard was about to scoff in dismissal, but he saw the small babe snuggled up to Delora’s bosom, his whole demeanor changed. As he was about to speak, the voice of Alicent caught the attention of both him and Delora. 

“You, you are relieved of your duties for now. Retire for the time being, give me and this woman a moment alone.”

“Yes, my Lady.”

With a bow, the Kingsguard made his way a distance from the gate. Alicent gently brought Delora to the side and looked at her rather perturbed at the sudden appearance. Alicent noticed the babe that was swaddled up and looked even more confused.

“Delora, by the Seven, what is the meaning of this?”

“Please Alicent, you are my only hope, I had no one to turn to.”

“What of Borros and Elenda? Surely you could have stayed in Storm’s End.”

As Delora goes to speak, a horrible cough escapes her, one sounding like the very trumpet of death nearing. She covered her mouth with her free hand and when she pulled it back, she weakly grimaced at the sight of blood on her palm. Alicent flinched slightly, going wide eyed at the sight, not having a single clue what to do.

“Alicent, Borros, he…. He had his way with me whilst my sister was poorly, needing to satiate his lust. I did not want it, but who was I to turn down a Lord and say no? I didn’t bleed for nearly three moons and I knew something wasn’t right. I was with child. Borros knew, Elenda found out, but as soon as I had given birth, both of us were banished.”

Alicent’s facial expression was a myriad of different emotions: confusion, anger, sympathy and a tinge of grief. How was she supposed to act after receiving such a large amount of information in the span of just a few moments?

“So you come to me for what purpose? To seek refuge? Delora, I may be Queen, but I couldn’t make this decision alone.”

“I’m dying, Alicent. As the pregnancy progressed, so did this…. This ailment. I will be lucky to survive by dawn. If not the both of us, then at least take Brinaera. Please…. I ask you this one single thing. She has done no wrong, I beg of you Alicent.”

Alicent grew even more shocked and bewildered as Delora weakly and shakily handed Brinaera to her, Alicent immediately holding the babe in the correct manner. Delora let out another cough, one sounding sharper and more painful than the last, her legs giving out underneath her. Delora collapsed to the ground on hands and knees, her skin abrasively scraped by the stone and dirt, blood being coughed up from her lips. Her fingers shakily reached around her neck to remove the necklace around it, the pendant having a single nightingale on it. She looked up at Alicent, giving her a weak and solemn smile, handing the necklace to her.

“Please…. Give this to her, remind her of her blood, tell her she is always loved. Regale to her the Caron words…. No Song so Sweet.”

Alicent, with a slightly shaky hand, grabbed the necklace from Delora’s hand, examining the pendant. She swallowed as her eyes became slightly watery.

“I will see to it that your daughter is taken care of here in the Keep, Delora. You have my word.”

Delora smiled weakly and let out a small strained laugh as tears ran down her face, her body starting to give way and surrender to the ailment. She remained on the ground until her chest stopped rising for air, a single death rattle escaping her as the light left her eyes. Alicent closed her eyes for a moment in a vain attempt to not look at what once was an acquaintance, now dead in front of her, a single tear rolling down her face as she muttered a silent prayer to herself. She looked down at the infant in her arms, cooing and looking up at Alicent, not having a single clue that her mother was now dead, feet away from her. She looked at the necklace once more, staring at the nightingale on the pendant before letting out a sigh, tucking the necklace into Brinaera’s swaddle rags. 

Alicent walked past the Kingsguard on her way into the Red Keep, holding Brinaera close to her bosom. The Kingsguard looked confused and was about to speak, but Alicent cut him off, speaking rather bluntly.

“The woman is dead. See to it that she is buried properly away from the Keep.”

“Yes, my Queen.”

The Kingsguard immediately left to tend to the body of Delora, leaving through the main gates of the Keep. Alicent walked through the halls and corridors of the Keep, making her way into the Throne Room where Viserys sat on the Iron Throne. 

“Viserys, we must discuss something in private. It is of grave urgence.”

Viserys looked confused and raised a curious brow as he looked at Alicent, and that confusion grew as he saw the infant swaddled up against her bosom. He motioned for Alicent to come forward and that was precisely what she did. She stood in front of him at the top step of the Iron Throne.

“Alicent, what in the Hells is going on and why is there a babe in your arms? What is the meaning of this?”

“I was visited by Delora.”

Viserys looked even more confused, wondering just what in the Seven Hells was going on. 

“Delora…. Lord Borros’ Lady Wife’s sister? What was it she could have needed from you?”

Alicent let out an exasperated sigh before looking at Viserys, gently rocking and bouncing Brinaera in her arms.

“She had confided in me that whilst her sister Elenda was poorly, Lord Borros, he… had his way with her. Three moons had passed and she had yet received her blood. She was with Borros’ child. He had known immediately, Elenda had found out, and as soon as Delora gave birth, she was forced to leave Storm’s End with the child. But as the pregnancy progressed, so did this ailment she had. She traveled all the way here on foot… she trusted in me to look after her daughter. It was her single wish before she… had perished at my feet. A Kingsguard is seeing to it that she be buried outside the Keep.”

Viserys was greatly baffled by this information, having to rub his temples in contemplation on what to do.

“And you agreed…. ?”

“What was I to do, Viserys? What would you have me do, turn away a dying woman and her babe?”

“No, dear wife, that is not what I was insinuating. I am just… trying to grasp this situation.”

Viserys paused for a moment before getting up from the Iron Throne, walking up to Alicent with Brinaera in her arms, getting a better look at the babe. He then spoke once more.

“What is the child’s name? Did Delora tell you?”

“Yes…. Her name is Brinaera.”

Viserys just smiled to himself and looked at Brinaera swaddled in Alicent’s arm, placing a gentle hand to the top of the babe’s head. Alicent just stared at the scene in front of her before speaking once more.

“She is Baratheon by blood. But Lord Borros would never admit to it. She will never be a Baratheon by name. He wouldn’t ever legitimize her.”

“I am the King of the Seven Kingdoms and he is a mere Lord of the Stormlands. If I wish to legitimize her, then I will see it done.”

“Viserys, to legitimize a bastard, another Lord’s bastard mind you, would cause a great scandal amongst the Seven Kingdoms. Do you not think of the repercussions this could cause?”

Viserys turned to look at Alicent, his gaze a bit upset but understanding, knowing Alicent had a point. He let out a sigh, a gentle hand still on the top of Brinaera’s head.

“I suppose you are right, dear wife. But she shall remain with us, she will be a ward. She will be treated no differently than our own children. Though if I choose to legitimize her once she is older, I will see that it does happen.”

Alicent knew she wanted to press further, but remained silent and let it be. She just looked down at Brinaera swaddled in her arms, slightly bouncing and rocking her in her arms. She was a beautiful child and she knew out of good faith she couldn’t rid herself of the child, so she nodded her head at Viserys’ words, as if silently agreeing to the terms.

What a strange turn of events for the most important family in all of the Seven Kingdoms to now have an orphan bastard in their care as a ward. It was as if the Gods above had a unique and twisted sense of humor, but here Alicent was, stuck with a child out of obligation and a promise made to Delora. Perhaps this was a chance, an opportunity waiting to bloom at the right time later down the road…. 

And with that, details the origins of the scorned bastard daughter, the wronged Princess of Storm’s End…the girl that was and is Brinaera Baratheon.

[frazzledsoul]

So there was a lot of talk the past two days on my feed over Rory being right to turn down Logan's marriage proposal in S7....which is completely the rational take as both of them were under 25, they'd never discussed it before, Logan is going to crash and burn by trying to rush right into marriage, home ownership, and financial independence at the same time at the ripe old age of 24 (slow down, my man, there's a recession coming in two years), Logan said he'd factor her plans into his and then does the exact opposite and she didn't want to break up with him over the issue....and oh yeah, she didn't want to and it's not like the disaster of her parents failed reconciliation a few months prior to that event could cause her to be wary of the institution in general. Sure, her career devolves on its own years later and Logan becomes unavailable as a legitimate prospect to her years later because he decides to become a character in an eighteenth century novel with the whole "I have to marry this heiress to please my dad even though my heart is stuck on another, whatever shall I do? Oh, nothing, apparently, the narrative says I'm doomed no matter what"...but hey, maybe all of those things would have happened anyway, and it's still not a reason to force yourself to get married when you don't want to.

However, can we talk about how weird this episode is? Why is Rory leaning on her mother for advice at this point, who has gone through a failed engagement and a divorce (to two different men!) in less than a year and Rory was upfront with thinking the marriage was a bad idea? Why is Christopher whining about Logan not asking him first, given it seems that he hasn't contacted Rory on her own since the divorce because he STILL is unwilling to do much of anything parental unless Lorelai is involved? Why is there no discussion of Luke attending this graduation, even as a suggestion that's dismissed? What is even up with Logan's "my way or the highway" attitude? That isn't how he's acted all season and he and Rory have had disagreements and been able to deal rationally with them. And finally, what is up with Luke and Lorelai taking so many steps backwards? Lorelai is frustrated that Luke isn't making a move when she's going around telling everyone that serenading him isn't a big deal, what did she think was going to happen? Luke very logically tells her that Rory marrying her college boyfriend seems like something she should carefully consider (gee, it's not like he and Lorelai both have ill-fated spontaneous marriages in their recent past or anything that could inform his thoughts on this matter) and Lorelai decides to make that entire conversation a metaphorical moratorium on their relationship and conclude that Luke isn't willing to consider marriage again? (Uh, maybe this issue isn't going to be resolved in one conversation, hon). And finally, Lorelai tells Rory that if she doesn't immediately want to marry someone the first time the issue comes up, she should just accept that she's never meant to marry that person and the discussion is forever closed! I'm sorry, Lorelai, that is TERRIBLE ADVICE and maybe ease up on the projecting here.

This episode was written by Jennie Snyder Urman, who would later go on to run Jane the Virgin. She also wrote the Luke/Lorelai car shopping episode, Lorelai and Christopher's breakup episode, and the episode where Lorelai tells Rory she's gotten married and Rory and Logan fight over the magazine article she writes. I think she has good takes on both couples in the past, so it's bizarre to keep why they're so off kilter here. I get it that they wanted Rory to be single by the end of the season and not get Luke and Lorelai back together quite yet but it's just...a really sour way of making the narrative orient around rom com miscommunication and kind of taints the back half of the last season, which was otherwise pretty stellar.

[dangermousie]

Some thoughts on Empress Ki

There are a lot of things I love about this drama (there is a reason it's in my Top 5 sageuks) but one of them is how uncompromisingly bleak it is.

Nobody gets a happy ending because you cannot have one in this environment. It does not matter if you keep your soul and your morals and your heroism (Wang Yu) or you descend as a way to survive (Sung Nyang and Togon) - there is no way out.

It's a never-ending circle of power hunger and trauma and damage and it forces people into their roles regardless of how they started. For example, El Temur is not a uniquely power hungry minister and Togon is not a uniquely put upon emperor - it all repeats in endless cycle. I love that after Togon takes down El Temur, there is no end in triumph. I am thinking of a scene early on where Togon literally grovels and begs El Temur, the man who killed his father and brother and tried to kill him. In any traditional revenge narrative, he'd eventually take the man down and yay, victory, the end as we flashback to that grovel scene and go aha see it was worth it. But not in this drama. El Temur is taken down and so Togon avenges his family and SN avenges hers (sort of - it's pretty telling that she started out wanting revenge on Togon but ends up with him; nothing is clear cut) but guess what? They don't get to ride into the sunset because we then have El Temur mark 2 - Bayan. The whole system is set up for talented ambitious non royals to try to control the royal and the royal to fight them and everyone ending up a monster.

I mean, at the very end of the drama, as Sung Nyang is left as the Dowager Empress, it would not surprise me if she will end up another version of Togon's mother, ruling through her child, more power obsessed than anything. This drama is very much "power corrupts absolute power corrupts absolutely" but with an even bleaker caveat - but if you don't fight for it, you will be killed.

The thing is, when I see the young SN and Togon in the beginning eps of my rewatch, my heart hurts for them - SN still so right and idealistic (and thinking the worst is behind her) and Togon a puppy even if seeds of damage and madness are there (how could they not be with his background.) If they saw themselves at the end of the drama, they'd be horrified. This drama is very much not about love healing - love does not heal or save any of the main three or any of the supporting. But it's not even the narrative of loving dooming you either. It's just that love may make dwelling in a pit of monsters more bearable but it won't heal you or defeat the monsters.

Both Togon and SN had only two choices - Togon from birth and SN from the moment she ended up in Yuan - become a monster or die. With or without love, that calculus does not change. Loving Togon did not make SN worse just as loving WY did not make her better - she did what she did to survive regardless of any romantic entanglements. And with Togon, love did save him in a sense - without SN to fixate his incredible powers of obsession on he'd have become a monster without any shred of any feeling, as opposed to a monster in love. Because the choice is not to heal or chose darkness for either of them tbh - it's what you grab onto in that darkness, if anything. (The fact that the greatest, most useful, most loving gift he ever gave SN was that epic murder spree he went on once he found he was dying, in order to clear the path of safety for SN and their son about sums it up.)

And yet - the drama does not give you even a relief of "well this is Yuan and its royal monsters, it's better elsewhere." It’s everywhere. Wang Yu is noble, smart, competent, tough, and utterly incapable of relinquishing his soul. All that gets him is death. But then crossing any line to keep himself and his loved ones safe got Togon death too. And all of SN's drive and strength got her utter loneliness and a path of eventually becoming a monster to be removed by the next generation in a never-ending cycle.

Anyway, gonna stop but god I love this drama!

[katzkinder]

your gammauni post is really interesting! i had no idea people shipped that. for some reason i was under the impression that gamma was uni's father but aria didnt tell him and he just had suspicions that she was maybe his??? there is. no evidence of this. why did i think this? human brains are fascinating lol

No see that’s the thing

I 100% understand why you thought that, because that was ALSO where my thoughts were going when I was reading about it and then I got surprised when there was never any secret “surprise you’re my dad!” Plot reveal

But also it makes total sense that there wasn’t considering how the narrative develops and also what little we know about Gamma’s relationship with Aria and the whole Luce bloodline itself

Aria would never ever EVER do that to Gamma. She loved him too much to put him through both her death and raising their daughter knowing that Uni would ALSO succumb to the fate of the Sky Arcobaleno, leaving him twice as bereft from losing both his beloved and their daughter. It would have killed him.

Aria loved him the same way Uni does, so she would never dream of inflicting that kind of suffering onto him

Who Uni’s father IS is still a mystery but I also don’t think it’s a very important one. Aria could be the second coming of Mary for all I care but the thing that matters most is that even if she was a bit more stern looking than her mother or her daughter, she’s just as kind and soft hearted (not to mention stubborn)

The Arcobaleno system is a cruel and merciless one which requires the Sky Pacifier holder to cultivate bonds even while knowing she will be dooming those she loves to misery, and she tells herself it’s for the sake of the world, and she tells herself this is for the greater good, and she tells herself this is just

I’m really glad Reborn seems to have been more present in Uni’s life as a family figure of sorts, if her affection for him is anything to go by.

It taught her to be selfish enough to fight for herself, and to grasp at a future greater than being a martyr. To allow herself happiness, even if it’s not what others would call “good” or “right,” because if the world is going to demand she give up her life for it, she has every right to demand something back from the world.

Shame he couldn’t do the same for Tsuna

[brsb4hls]

Welp, judging from the possible spoilers, predictions and interviews I actually think the finale will go fine for every character, except maybe Sylvie.

That would suck, since she truely got the short end of the stick basically the whole show. I still hope for a decent conclusion for her arc, but you'll never know.

To me she is the only wild card.

What I think will happen:

*Loki will take over for HWR and stay at the citadel. I'm absolutely sure. He won't die, the MCU will keep him as an asset and for possible cameos.

The only thing that could go wrong here would be not giving him enough power to make it awesome.

*the tva will continue to exist. But just for monitoring. I'd be ok with that for the sake of the characters (not for the tva itself).

*the variants will get a conscious peek at their time lines and decide to stay at the tva, it will be bitter sweet and melodramatic.

(Mobius might see that his boys are thriving with another Don, OB loves the tva science anyways, Casey well duh, B-15 might stay out of responsibility or because she was meant to die on the tl or whatever).

B-15 officially takes a leading role, Mobius stays in middle management and keeps up morale. He's great at that.

*the multiverse will be free. We still didn't fully get to that yet, and one spoiler tweet claims that the 'lie' from the trailer is indeed the loom. The loom is pointless (in regards to keeping lines stable) and will not be fixed. The multiverse will expand.

The time lines will be stabilized by Loki himself.

*I like Brad as a character, but am ok with whatever might happen to him (possible death)

*Ravonna could get eaten or put back on the time line. Given her recent action she most likely will be an Alioth meal, unless they have one last surprise for her character. We did get a glimpse at her actual life though, so she might make it.

*Kang will have forseen everything up to Loki revisiting the citadel, but will not 'win' there.

The general speculative consensus is that the MCU can either keep him or exchange him for Doom as future villain, so it will be an ambiguous ending for Kang, where it just looks as if he'd won at first.

*Now Sylvie: narratively it would make sense to have her stay with Loki at the citadel. Kang asked both of them to take over.

They have been arguing over different philosophies the whole season, so both of them together would mean balance.

Sylvie is referred to as 'meaningful' and described as having 'a deep connection to Loki' in interviews.

But: the MCU doesn't exactly do couples (with few exeptions).

If the MCU wants to keep using Loki for cameos or even as Avenger prime (hey I can hope ;)), would they have to include her? Could they?

Loki by himself seems easier.

Sophia talked about saying goodbye to her character. (So no reprise of that role).

So Sylvie could either die (fuck that tbh) or get her own mission elsewhere (I'd be ok with that).

Or get reset in favor of little Sylvie if that would work logically (well, fuck that too).

(There will be a 'sacrifice' in the finale, but that could be anything tbh, it could also mean Loki saying goodbye to her and conciously erasing their meeting, if her life gets reset. Great for Sylvie, who would start over with no memories, very sad for Loki, convenient drama insert)

So yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy the finale, but that could be the only shitty thing.

It wouldn't matter much, of course. It's just a show and they hardly end the way I want (not you 'Lost girl', you did great. SPN also).

But I would love to be wrong in my pessimism and get pleasently surprised with a perfect ending.

[voxofthevoid]

gege, you mad bastard (affectionate)

Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter 212 spoilers under the cut

This chapter's got me fucking feral, and I've gotten most of it out of my system by going full-on unhinged at @thelionshoarde and @backwardshirt. Now let's see if I can put my thoughts into a more coherent form, mostly so I can refer to them later on.

Was Tsumiki doomed before the story even started?

I am and will always be weak to the concept of a character being dead before the story even began, though I admit it hits harder when it's a major character who gets the treatment. Anyway, as of now, that seems to be the route taken with Tsumiki. The Angel does say incarnated players essentially erase the original soul/personality of the host: the only exceptions we have are Yuuji (who's got Kenjaku for a parent and whatever fuckery they pulled to explain his unusual aptitude as a vessel) and Hana (where the Angel is responsible for Hana's continued existence). Tsumiki and her curse are presented as such a major driving factor behind Megumi—his principles as a sorcerer, his overall moral values, his participation in the Culing Games. Hell, unless I'm missing something, the first time he explicitly asks for help from his peers is when he asks Yuuji to participate in the games to help save Tsumiki. If all of that was pointless, if none of it ever mattered—well, good thing he seems to currently not be in a state to process that (haha. hah. help.).

I am curious why Tsumiki's name and not Yorozu's appeared in the Culling Games player info screen. Plot hole or potential hint that she's still in there somewhere? The latter wouldn't make much sense given what we've seen of all the other incarnated players and the Angel's statement about them, but I suppose it's an option.

Yuuji and self-sacrifice

I was shouting three pages into the chapter because of this:

Yuuji, honey, stop trying to sacrifice yourself for two whole seconds. In all seriousness, I do love how this tendency has been consistent since the start: Yuuji's always put others' survival over his own, and the events of the manga, particularly his trauma conga line in the Shibuya arc, seem to have worn him down to the point that his will to live is a permanent question mark. And we've always known he's willing to die, and take 75% of Sukuna's power with him as he goes, to save Gojou and put everything back to rights, but I also adore how the narrative just won't let him do it. Hell, immediately after this, we're shown yet again why this trait of it isn't always a good thing. So far, the consequences have been emotional distress to those who care about him. This time, it's a lot more severe:

Sukuna wasn't even sure if this would work; given what we see of the binding vow (it's not like these two sat down and ironed out the terms), who's included under "anyone" seems to be a matter of Yuuji's intent. And he didn't include himself because he consistently fails at self-preservation. Now it's come back to bite everyone in the ass.

The vessel business

What is up with that, actually? I'm too lazy to check, but didn't Megumi say someone surviving ingesting Sukuna's finger was a one-in-a-million chance? Or did that apply only to non-sorcerers? It makes sense that cursed energy would make a difference in terms of survival, and Megumi has that in abundance. And Yuuji's uniqueness as a vessel has always been about how he can suppress Sukuna even at 20 fingers (thanks, Mumjaku). And I remember Kenjaku saying, back when the Death Paintings were being incarnated, that Sukuna was special in that he could choose his vessel. As of now, Yuuji's secondary eye markings have faded entirely:

They're fading in this panel.

By this one, they're entirely gone.

But he still ingested 15 fingers. And did/could Sukuna transfer all of that power in the few seconds he took to gamble on imbuing Yuuji's finger with cursed energy and feeding it to Megumi? I guess it's not impossible, but I think it would make more sense, narratively, for Sukuna to have hopped hosts rather than ditched Yuuji entirely. And whether the power transferred is one finger's worth or all fifteen's or some halfway point remains to be seen. Which brings us to—

Whether/how Yuuji and/or Megumi will survive?

How in the fuck will Megumi react, physically and mentally, to playing host to Sukuna? The vessels crushed by the incarnated sorcerers all seem to be people who were non-sorcerers (even Hana doesn't seem to have a cursed technique of her own, at least that's my understanding), and I don't think Megumi is going to get killed off via possession just like that (...that would be pretty fucking lame, no matter how cool the possession plot twist itself is). I think it's reasonable to assume Megumi will try to fight off the possession; if Getou's body reacted like that to Gojou's voice despite the former being quite dead, then a very alive Megumi reacting/fighting, especially if Sukuna uses him to fight either Yuuji or the sorcerer in Tsumiki's body, is very much in the realm of possibility.

But what is Sukuna planning, honestly? There's some shit Uraume is preparing for...but what? Proper incarnation? And will there be a Sukuna-in-Megumi's body versus Yuuji fight before that, like the end of the last chapter hinted—because, depending on Sukuna's power level and how much of it he can use in Megumi's body, I can't see Yuuji surviving that unless he gets a major power boost.

And how the fuck does Kenjaku's implied plans (for a rather loose definition of the term, since they seem v ery, very good at rolling with the punches) for Sukuna factor into all of this?

In sum:

I am losing my entire mind.

On a lighter note, at least we now know Sukuna isn't one for foreplay:

[when-wax-wings-melt]

GOD. if Brant had run like keefe did Jolie would still be alive if keefe had stayed he could have hurt people but he hurt them worse by leaving. was the right decision the one we've seen the consequences of already? if he'd stayed would Grady and edaline have lost another daughter? who would have been at fault?

the thing that happens is Brant and Jolie give us a track, a model, a tragedy. and we see Sophie and Keefe encountering that track, placing their shoes in the echoes of footprints and only realizing halfway through where it will take them. they're doomed by the narrative but Keefe looks at himself as the only one who can rewrite it. they're a living tragedy but Sophie thinks it won't happen to her it won't happen to them it's worth it if it happens to them.

Brant and Keefe have had only two choices their whole lives. to stay or to leave to run or to give up hope of survival. Jolie dies. Sophie doesn't, but maybe does, but maybe doesn't. they keep walking the path. they keep running off of it and they think they can make their own way but here they are again, unmatchable desperate to be together no matter what anyone else says a huge power that isn't their fault that they can't control, not either of them, tension and fear ready to snap, confrontation ready to leave them both dead this time.

and Brant gives Keefe the branding iron and tells him to burn her.

[semi-imaginary-place]

trigun reactions. End of maximum. Spoilers

People talk about Wolfwood being doomed by the narrative and I disagree, the one doomed by the narrative is Vash. Vash is the one with all the foreshadowing that he's dying. His hair is almost all black, his health and condition are worsening, multiple characters have commented on how he's dying.

90: haunted by nico chan. Wolfwood is shown to be on vash's mind twice once when he decides to attack legato and again when he kills him. Like legato says its notable that now is when vash decides to break his life long 100+ year vow not to kill.

91: the day will come when you have to choose that line's been repeated at least 3 times too bad i cant remember where. Its not just wolfwoods philosophy, vash wanted to protect his legacy or maybe just the reminder that wolfwood once lived.

92: wasnt there a whole thing about how plants can't survive outside of those glass bulbs. Given how many chapters are left i dont think vash and knives are going to fight which is very very interesting narratively and on a meta level. I say that because most of the other fights have taken 5-10 chapters to cover like legato or livio.

93: uh nuclear fallout doesnt work like that. Any blast no matter if it hit knives of the fleet would be spreading radioactive particles. It might not be a direct hit. But thats 2 nuclear detonations. Yall are going to die of radiation poisoning.

94: ticket... what did that represent again... freedom to choose your destination? So the translations all say different things. Vash prays that the plants can choose the end of this confront tation/their future/what side to take. But is the ticket for himself or for them?

95: Also yeah there is no big epic final battle vash appeals to the plants, to bridge the gap between plants and humanity and communicate. As the feather memories drift down plants and humans find a common point in knowing vash. And the plants choose vash's philosophy of live and peace and abandon knives. Hmm so the cable vash stuck to his neck acts as plant life support. Vash has never made a promise to return until now.

96: contrast of vash who's more scars than skin and knives who is regenerating half his body. From knives perspective he's not wrong he really was abandoned by everyone: humanity, rem, vash, and the plants he convinced to his cause. Vash says there's no more reason to fight but knives will not waver.

Oh ho does knives feel a smidge of guilt for breaking their bond first as vash's gun finds his head. Ok im a bit confused did vash just kill chronica? Hmm but the framing isnt right and why would there be an explosion is he black holed it. Oh nvm she's still shooting at them. Vash uses the last of his lifespan to fly them out but he's too weak so knives makes the other wing. Great imagery.

97: the more things change the more thing stay the same man vash just cant stay in the laws good books huh. DID KNIVES TURN INTO A TREE??? Ok ok the most likely reading is that as knives said he was dying and out of power so he used the last of his life to make a miracle that would help humans. HOWEVER i rather like the idea that he ditched vash (because of complicated emotions and history) and is now wandering the world powerless and essentially human. Also isnt vash suppose to die soon the whole black hair thing he was on the point of collapse during the legato(?) fight blood everywhere, bleeding from his eyes falling apart, if vash survives it is technically, technically possible knives did too.

(https://trigun-manga-overhaul.tumblr.com)

[catastrxblues]

hii nadinee <3

the years coming to an end sooooo i need to sneak in atleast another ask that allows you to rant sdajhsdkjah

okay soo, i saw your posst about your rants about tbosas (Im assuming you've watched it? if not ignore this x)

soo i was thinkinggggg, if you wanttt, you can rant about it under this ask bc i love reading your rants and ily

bye noww mwah <33

HI LUCY !!!! thank you so muchh for this askjdklf 😭<33

i just finished watching it and i have some THOUGHTS. but it’s midnight here soo it’s definitely not well put AT ALL T-T

first of all, i just LOVE the fact that they added the “part x : ….” like that was such a nice touch i was so surprised for some reason

CLEM. i don’t know if it’s my memory that sucks, but i think she was a bit too confident and ambitious in this? especially that part with dr. gaul. book clemmie still fabricated the truth of course, but it was more to save herself from dr gaul’s notorious wrath. but movie clemmie did it to make a better impression on her, even went as far as claiming that she wrote it all which is just?? i don’t really understand why they had to “antagonize” her that way.

THE SINGING AT THE REAPING. like the beginning part. it actually gave me chills i love it so much

SEJANUS MY BELOVED. i love him so much. and that part of snow saying to him that he “will always protect him” throwing up because sejanus my love i’m so sorry

TIGRIS too oh my god. she’s just so everything. kind, compassionate, witty. and the part where they added the “you look like your father coriolanus” again, throwing up. i just i love her so much 😭

LUCY GRAYY. okay, don’t get me wrong, i LOVEE rachel and i think she was amazingg (and that scene when coryo was trying to convince her that she would be okay in the end thing after he killed mayfair and her voice cracked i can’t). AND LIKE THE FACT THAT SHE SANG ALL OF THEM LIVE STOP.

but i feel like they made lucy gray soo much more mature in here? as if everything she did was calculated and almost everything she said (before the games) had this ‘sneer’ in them. when, from what i remember, lucy gray wasn’t like that?

and that part at the end, when she told coryo she was going to get some katniss. they also made it seem like she suspected what was going on and was contemplating on doing something about it (which i get because of cinematic reason but). i don’t know, i think it erased the pure insanity of the moment a bit. how paranoid snow is for his safety that he could shed off trust that easily.

oh yeah SNOW 😭 tom blyth was greatt of course. watching this did make me realize how inner monologues can change and affect a story to the audience. because, no matter how good the actor is at face expression, you can never replace the running unfiltered thoughts that goes through a character’s mind.

like. honestly, if i had only watched the movie, maybe i would’ve violently shipped snowbaird too. cool if you do!! and i do get the whole appeal about doomed by the narratives, but i personally just never really liked or shipped them because of how disgustingly possessive snow is of her. how he had once thought that it’d be better to have her locked up in the capitol, his his his for like so many pages, etc.

i feel like the lack of snow’s inner monologue is definitely the reason why we now have so many people babygirling and justifying his actions. don’t know just something to think about i guess.

OH AND THE FACT THAT WE DONT HAVE THE “it’s not over until the mockingjay sings”??? jail that’s literally one of the best quotes from the book and it could’ve been SUCH a cinematic moment i don’t know why they cut that

that’s itt i think i don’t really want for this to go too long 😭 THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR GIVING ME A REASON TO DO THIS LUCY I LOVE YOU hope you’re having a wonderful holiday 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽